Ecology
The study of the interactions among species and their physical environment.
As individuals of different species compete, eat one another, and occasionally cooperate, they set up conditions that affect their survival and shape their evolution. Populations also adapt to the challenges of their habitat, and this adaptation is another type of interaction. Interactions also allow an ecosystem to perform "work". Energy and nutrients are distributed throughout the ecosystem as organisms consume one another. Oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen recycle through the ecosystem, atmosphere, and soil as a result of living metabolism. All species, including our own, depend on the work ecosystems do for their survival (Green, Bozonne).
Adaptation:
Adaptation:
Kangaroo rats are a group of about 20 species living in the deserts of North America. They have powerful hind legs and hop about on them like tiny kangaroos. Like all animals, kangaroo rats must strike a physiological balance between water intake and water output. Living in a desert habitat makes achieving this balance difficult, so they have to adapt to their environment. The inner surface of the lungs must be kept moist in order for oxygen to be absorbed. Nasal passages must be moist to dissolve odors an organisms smells. These moist surfaces are in contact with the outside air, and water constantly evaporates from them. Kangaroo rats cant eliminate this water loss, but they have adaptations to minimize it.
One of these adaptations is that kangaroo rats are nocturnal: they spend the day inside their burrow. As water evaporates from their lungs, humidity, in the burrow increases. This helps to reduce evaporate loss. At night, the rats forage for food, mainly dry seeds and grasses, which they take back to their burrow to eat and store. In the humid burrow, their food absorbs moisture. When the rats eat their food, they actually recover some of the moister they lost previously from evaporation (Greene, Bozonne).
One of these adaptations is that kangaroo rats are nocturnal: they spend the day inside their burrow. As water evaporates from their lungs, humidity, in the burrow increases. This helps to reduce evaporate loss. At night, the rats forage for food, mainly dry seeds and grasses, which they take back to their burrow to eat and store. In the humid burrow, their food absorbs moisture. When the rats eat their food, they actually recover some of the moister they lost previously from evaporation (Greene, Bozonne).
Competition: Occurs when two or more species attempt to utilize the same resource; it has a negative effect on both species.
![Picture](/uploads/2/8/2/4/28248195/1402204894.png)
A good example of competition (not in my plot, but a good example in the North west) is a Gray Wolf vs a Cougar.
- A wolf and a cougar hunt for the same species. Deer, elk, rabbits, etc.
- Because they hunt the same food, the population of the species they hunt decreases.
- This makes the wolf and cougar population decrease also because there is no prey for them to hunt; so they starve and die.
- Therefore this is a lose-lose situation for both species of the wolf and cougar.
- Eventually the prey population (deer, rabbits etc.) increases, and this cycle repeats.
Exploitation: An interaction between species in which one species benefits while the other is harmed.
Predation (In which a predator captures prey to eat), browsing and gazing (when organisms consume plants without killing them), parasitism (in which one organism lives off another), and disease are all forms of exploitation (Green, Bozonne).
Predation (In which a predator captures prey to eat), browsing and gazing (when organisms consume plants without killing them), parasitism (in which one organism lives off another), and disease are all forms of exploitation (Green, Bozonne).
![Picture](/uploads/2/8/2/4/28248195/1402206088.png)
- A good example of exploitation would be an American Robin vs a worm.
One of the American Robins main source of food is the worm. The robin searches throughout our yards and fields pecking worms out of the ground with it long, skinny beak. - Becasue the worm dosnt really have any way to protect its self from the robin, they are an easy meal.
- Because of this, the robin can easily get its fair share of worms. This benefits the robins emensily, but on the other hand harms the worms because they are always being eatin by the robins.
- It's a win-lose situation for the robins and worms.
Mutualism: An interaction between species in which both species benefit.
Animals may act as mobile agents for plants, as pollinators, seed dispersers, and even defense against predators. We can look at mutualism as mutual exploitation. Over time, one species may even become a "cheater", keeping the benefits but no longer providing any to other species (Green, Bozonne).
Animals may act as mobile agents for plants, as pollinators, seed dispersers, and even defense against predators. We can look at mutualism as mutual exploitation. Over time, one species may even become a "cheater", keeping the benefits but no longer providing any to other species (Green, Bozonne).
![Picture](/uploads/2/8/2/4/28248195/1357596.jpg?490)
A good example of mutualism would a honey bee and a flower.
- You may often times see a honey bee flying arounbd landing on flowers and sitting their for a while. What going on?
- Two things may be going on; pollination and the bee may be feeding its self. The bee might be using the plant's nectar and some pollen to make honey that feeds the hive's young. The bee might also be pollinating the flower. Pollination is an often process by which angiosperms reproduce. And bees are an excellent way of pollination
- The bee lands on a flower. Previously the same bee might have been on a different flower. While that bee was on a different flower, the male gametes could have stuck to its legs or anyother part if its body.
- That bee then flies to another flower, the male gametes that were on that bee could fall off onto the flower, fertilizing that flower, therefore producing new seeds which makes new flowers.
- The bee gets its food from the flower and the bee pollinate other flowers. It's a win-win siutation for both species.
Humans and the ecosystem
- Humans are good competitors for land and other resources; we are driving many species to extinction. When we alter a habitat, we may drive the original inhabitants out but make it better suited to others.
- There were several species of humans living on Earth, but eventually Homo sapiens outcompeted them all. Humans don't directly exploit as many organisms now that most of our food is domesticated, but we outcompete many for habitat.
- We take advantage of many chemical adaptations of plants, including cardiac glycosides from milkweed to treat heart problems, caffeine from coffee plants, spices used for medicine and flavoring, and drugs such as opiates and hallucinogens (Green, Bozonne).
Functioning Ecosystem
- Ecosystem services are naturally occurring ecological processes that support our agriculture, technology, and more; there are four types: regulating, cultural, and supporting.
- We disrupt ecosystem services as we use land for our own purposes or alter biogeochemical cycles.
- Biodiversity is the common denominator that relates to the health of an ecosystem; all ecological processes depend on having a diverse set of species (Green, Bozonne).
Flow of Energy and Nutrients (Functioning Ecosystem).
- Energy in an ecosystem comes from the sun.
- The food web based on the sun's energy is composed of trophic levels; primary producers or plants, primary consumers or herbivores, secondary consumers or carnivores, and decomposers.
- The ecological pyramid reflects that fact that 90 percent of energy is lost at each trophic level.
- Biochemical cycles recycle the materials in an ecosystem among four resvoirs: the biosphere, the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, and the lithosphere.
- During the carbon cycle, photosynthesis removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and the respiration add it.
- During the oxygen cycle, photosynthesis adds oxygen and respiration removes it from the atmosphere.
- During the nitrogen cycle, plants absorb nitrates from the soil, and nitrogen is released back into the soil through decomposition and converted back to gaseous form for release into the atmosphere.
![Picture](/uploads/2/8/2/4/28248195/9824702.png?594)
Food Web: A diagram showing a multi linked structure of "who eats whom (or what)"
Primary Producer: Photosynthetic organism that is the first link in the food web in terms of capturing solar energy. The rotting log, dead leaves, dead animals, maple leaves.
Primary consumer: Herbivore.
Secondary consumer: Carnivore.
Decomposer: Organisms that cause dead bodies to rot.
Trophic Level: Level that organisms occupy on the food web (Green, Bozonne).
Primary Producer: Photosynthetic organism that is the first link in the food web in terms of capturing solar energy. The rotting log, dead leaves, dead animals, maple leaves.
Primary consumer: Herbivore.
Secondary consumer: Carnivore.
Decomposer: Organisms that cause dead bodies to rot.
Trophic Level: Level that organisms occupy on the food web (Green, Bozonne).
References:
"The Carbon Cycle ", "The Nitrogen Cycle". Kid's Crossing , n.d. Web. 9 June 2014
Tripath , Ishta . "oxygen cycle." oxygen cycle. meritnation , n.d. Web. 9 June 2014.
Nyberg , Dennis . "Food Webs : Slide19." Food Webs : Slide19. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 June
Bozzone, Donna M., and Douglas S. Green . Biology for the informed citizen: with physiology. New York : Oxford University Press, 2014. Print.
"The Carbon Cycle ", "The Nitrogen Cycle". Kid's Crossing , n.d. Web. 9 June 2014
Tripath , Ishta . "oxygen cycle." oxygen cycle. meritnation , n.d. Web. 9 June 2014.
Nyberg , Dennis . "Food Webs : Slide19." Food Webs : Slide19. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 June
Bozzone, Donna M., and Douglas S. Green . Biology for the informed citizen: with physiology. New York : Oxford University Press, 2014. Print.